Dvar Torah: Chukat - Balak - Rabbi Leiby Burnham

We know that a mitzvah is only called by the person [music] who finishes it. Why specifically this mitzvah? Why is this mitzvah specifically going to be called by Moshe's name? We don't say that by tzitzit, we don't [music] say that by lulav and etrog, we don't say that by shofar. So, why specifically is the parah adumah going to be called [music] upon by the name of Mosher benu? Says the Kli Yakar, one of the reasons that Chazal tell us that we bring a parah adumah is that it's a kaparah, an atonement for the maaseh ego, the terrible sin that Klal Yisrael did with the ego. Let the mother come and clean up the mess of her son. Mother is the parah and the ego [music] was the child, the golden calf. So, the parah adumah is supposed to be a kaparah for the golden calf. Who started the [music] process of the kaparah for the golden calf? Mosher benu. He came down, he grinded up the golden calf, [music] and then he went up to Hashem, and he begged for forgiveness. So, Hashem wanted to give Mosher benu the opportunity to finish the kaparah of the ego. So, Moshe started it, Hashem gives him the opportunity to finish it with the mitzvah of parah adumah. [music] Let's make sure that we finish our mitzvah so that it should be called on our name.